table talk / By Simona Carini

Zucchini Season

(July 7, 2011)  Seeing freshly picked zucchini at the Farmers’ Market gets me into a celebratory mood. I admit that I get excited about many kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables, each one for a different reason. With zucchini, it is a desire to make amends. I did not get along with zucchini during the first part of my life, so now I compensate for years of hostility by making them welcome in my kitchen and on my plate. Zucchini appeal to my aesthetic sense, especially those with the blossom still attached. They inspire me to prepare them into a variety of dishes.

All summer long, I buy zucchini by default every time I go to the Farmers’ Market. I use them in some trusted recipes (like zucchini frittata), and when I get a new idea that involves them (like a zucchini and broccoli soup), I always have material at hand to realize it. So, here is my suggestion: this summer, let yourself be inspired by zucchini.

Zucchini Frittata PHOTO BY SIMONA CARINI

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My favorite way of eating zucchini is al pomodoro (with tomatoes). Once my reconciliation with zucchini had occurred, I would ask my mother to prepare them for me this way. What I describe here is not exactly her recipe, but the three main ingredients: zucchini, tomatoes and onion are the same. Later on in the season, when locally grown tomatoes become available, I will use them in this dish: In the meantime, I am reaching out for canned organic fire-roasted crushed tomatoes.

Zucchini frittata has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Up until recently, I had been making it the same way my mother did, with sliced zucchini. Then, one day, temporarily bored by the idea of slicing zucchini for a frittata, I tried grating the vegetable. The household liked the result, so that became my preferred way of preparing zucchini frittata.

Leftover frittata makes a nice stuffing for a panino, a simple combination of bread and one or two things to go with it. So my panino con la frittata is just that: two slices cut from a loaf (or a roll, like a ciabatta roll) with some frittata between them. If bread and frittata are good, nothing else is required — just some excuse to take a panino break.

Zucchini and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

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